Packers have to contend with Lions downfield threats Chark and Williams

The last time the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions played each other in Week 9, the Green Bay defense held the Detroit offense to only 15 points. However, in that matchup, the Packers did not have to go up against downfield threats DJ Chark and Jameson Williams, both of whom were out with injuries.

Chark and Williams certainly change the dynamic of the game with their big play abilities on the outside. Chark is averaging 18.1 yards per catch this season and leads the NFL in average depth of target at over 16 yards. He also ranks 22nd in downfield passing yards despite only appearing in 10 games this season.

Williams, meanwhile, has just one catch since returning from an ACL injury that went for a 41-yard touchdown. If he had enough targets, he would be leading the NFL in average depth of target at 20.1 yards. During his final season at Alabama in 2021, Williams averaged an impressive 20.0 yards per catch, according to Pro Football Focus ($$).

With two players who can stretch the field like Chark and Williams can, it forces the defense to protect against that home run swing, which spreads the defenders out, thus creating more space underneath for Amon-Ra St. Brown. While Chark and Williams are downfield threats, 95 of St. Brown’s 130 targets have come within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, where he can get the ball quickly in space, and his YAC ability can take over.

This first time around, that downfield threat wasn’t something that the Packers necessarily had to worry about, which meant more attention on St. Brown, who they held to 55 yards on four receptions.

Since coming out of the bye week, the Packers’ defense has been much more sound and a lot better at limiting the big passing play. As Daire Carragher wrote for Packer Report, Joe Barry has started playing a lot more cover-6, which puts an additional defender in coverage, along with providing safety help to the strong side of the field, as well as more cover-2 to help eliminate big play opportunities.

This has put defenders in better positions to make plays on the football, but on top of that, the energy and communication on the back end have greatly improved as well. It’s not often that we’ve seen a completion lately that didn’t have multiple Packers players in the area. This has also led to an increase in turnovers.

Being able to pressure Jared Goff will be an important aspect for the Packers’ defensive front. For one, Goff completes just 41.2% of his passes under pressure, ranking 32nd in the NFL. His 5.2 yards per attempt when under duress ranks 28th. Steady pressure will also not provide enough time for those longer-developing downfield routes to take place.

This is a high-powered Lions offense that ranks fifth in points per game this season. It’s going to be a balancing act for the Packers’ defense because while they will want to take away those downfield opportunities from Chark and Williams, if they become too focused on that, St. Brown could wreak some havoc underneath.